This invention relates to sculling oars that are re-enforced with stays and braces, and specifically to any oar for which the blade force and the handle force do not intersect the feathering rotation axis of the oar during the stroke.
The following U.S. patent defines a mechanism which would appear to be germane to the patentability of the disclosed invention:
No. 231,016 M. F. Davis, Aug. 10, 1880
The patent of Davis teaches that the handle centerline of an oar may be offset from the feathering rotation axis to counteract the moment that is produced during the stroke when the larger portion of the oar blade is below the feathering rotation axis of the oar.
In the disclosed invention, a brace and a stay are mounted to the oar shaft in such manner as to bow the ends of the oar shaft toward the brace. If the oar blade is oriented so that the blade force acts above the feathering rotation axis during the stroke, the force will tend to feather the oar. The oarsman may apply a counter-moment at the oar handle in order to eliminate the feathering tendency of the oar. Alternatively, if the oar blade is oriented so that the blade force acts below the feathering rotation axis, the force will tend to unfeather the oar. The unfeathering of the oar is desirable during the stroke as long as an oar lock stop is provided to properly orient the oar blade.